Baron Lofts apartments, art gallery a reality

The former Baron Brothers furniture warehouse at 8 Trescott St. has finally been transformed into six loft-style apartments with an art gallery and office space on the ground floor.

Charles Winokoor

The former Baron Brothers furniture warehouse at 8 Trescott St. has finally been transformed into six loft-style apartments with an art gallery and office space on the ground floor.

“It was truly a joint partnership,” said Dean Harrison, director of The Neighborhood Corporation, a non-profit whose predecessor was another community development corporation (CDC), the Weir Corporation.

Former Weir Corp. director Teri Bernert, now the manager of Taunton’s Business Improvement District (BID), said the new Baron Lofts apartments is the fulfillment of a vision shared by herself and Harrison to increase housing stock downtown.

Rents for the one-bedroom apartments range from $789 to $975 with heat and hot water included.

Half are listed as market rate and half are affordable, following state housing guidelines.

All of them, Bernert said, have been rented. There’s also a waiting list of about a dozen people for what she describes as “workforce housing.”

Bernert and Harrison said the tenants all have jobs and do not collect government financial assistance, such as disability payments or welfare.

Harrison’s TNC and the city’s BID previously formed a limited liability company called Baron Lofts LLC, in order to apply for funding and loans to buy and renovate the two-story warehouse.

The $1.6 million project was made possible with $770,000 from the federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program and its counterpart, the Massachusetts Housing Investment Corp.; $350,000 from the Greater Attleboro Taunton HOME Consortium; and a $480,000 loan from Bristol County Savings Bank.

A ribbon cutting today at 3:30 p.m. will nearly coincide with a wine and cheese reception at 5 p.m. for the 1,400-square-foot Trescott Street Art Gallery, marking what will be a month-long showcase for 20 local artists.

Artwork will be sold at prices ranging between $50 and $3,500, with 20 percent of proceeds going to BID’s sister non-profit, the Downtown Taunton Foundation.

All of the apartments have 14-foot ceilings, large windows and stainless steel appliances.

Five units are located on the second floor. The first-floor unit is handicap accessible and includes a specially designed shower for people with disabilities.

Five of six have granite countertops in the kitchen area, and all have central air conditioning and heat.

Harrison said it took only two weeks for Kelly Lewis Realty of Taunton to find qualifying tenants.

Nearly all contractors who worked on the project are from the Taunton region, according to Bernert.

Harrison said contractors were able to retain original maple floors, with natural cosmetic blemishes dating back more than 100 years, for three units. The others, he said, have a mixture of carpeting and sturdy bamboo flooring

Interior demolition began in December 2011, the same month Baron Lofts LLC closed on a deal to buy the building from the estate of the late Michael Baron, as well as purchasing an adjacent lot from property owner Earnie Helides.

A suspicious fire leveled a commercial building at the latter site in 2001. The empty lot has now been paved to accommodate six parking spaces for each apartment.

Bernert said Baron’s widow, Robin, and her children are expected to attend the ribbon cutting in celebration for Baron Lofts.

Harrison said the architect and contractors attended weekly meetings during construction to discuss how to adjust to previously unforeseen obstacles.
“You need a really good design team and trust between people,” he said.

Bernert has gotten a jump on tenants, who are expected to arrive in November: Her BID office recently relocated from the Crocker Building to her new ground-floor office facing Trescott Street.

Across from her office sits a WiFi-capable, conference room that can accommodate 20 people. Next to that is a small office space renting for $250 a month.

Harrison credits Kevin Shea, director of the city’s office of economic and community development, for facilitating the grant process and also city departments in terms of the permitting process.

“This took a lot of cooperation,” Harrison said.

The former Baron Brothers furniture business relocated sales and operations to its Trescott Street warehouse, after a fire in 2004 destroyed its retail/showroom building on Winthrop Street.

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